210 REMINISCENCES OF A HUNTSMAN 



that tubs had been sunk off the reef, and were inclined to deem 

 that some few of them might be attached to the lobster pots, 

 and run home with them when the boats returned from fishing. 

 The man on the head with a very good glass therefore kept a 

 sharp look-out; but so did Hooper and his friends with an 

 equally good glass at sea, and there they sat each telescoping the 

 other. Men-of-war's men are not easily done, so the blue-jacket 

 on the look-out, apparently having satisfied himself that they 

 were up to no harm, shut up his glass with a flourish, and, as 

 the men at sea thought, made all safe for a few moments by 

 going off duty. Up came the tub on to a lobster pot, but not 

 in the least safe, for, though the blue-jacket had gone to the 

 Haven House, he left a man hid in the heather with a glass as 

 good as his own, who, from his ambush, watched the whole 

 transaction. The little fleet of boats returned from fishing, the 

 wind was fair, and they set their sails, all but Hooper, who, for 

 the sake of exercise, chose to pull his boat to harbour. Ere the 

 boats got in, down came the ambushed mate, "What, ho, 

 there ! " cried he ; " Williams, on the look-out ! Stop the boat 

 that's coming in with oars ; she's a tub on board." Thus in- 

 formed, Williams hailed the boat, and did his duty, though, the 

 moment he was so hailed Hooper called out, " Here's a tub I've 

 found for you." Hooper declared that he had found the tub 

 attached to his lobster gear, and that, whatever the other fisher- 

 men were doing, or about to do, was nothing to him, but that 

 his intention was to deliver the spirits to the officer in the Haven 

 House. The sail of his boat happening to be over it, and his 

 indulging in the needless but wholesome exercise of rowing, 

 looked odd, and Lord Stuart de Rothesay and myself had some 

 difficulty in obtaining the remission of his sentence, but, by 

 undertaking that he would never risk offending again, Hooper 

 was restored to freedom. This and the failure of wild-fowl made 

 him apply to me to teach him, with my men, the preservation of 

 game. I did so, and from that hour, over a period of many 

 years, Hooper never had but two masters. He lived first near 

 Southampton, as Sir Edward Butler's head keeper ; and, when he 



